I've been teaching this song to my sophomore college literature classes for about fifteen years, and I have some ideas. Judas is of course Judas Iscariot, but his role as the betrayer of Jesus is not what's important here; he was also the treasurer of the Apostles, the fellow who held all the worldly possessions, and it is this role which seems to be important in this poem (he's got the roll of tens). The fact that he's a "priest" means that this role has been taken to religious extremes. When Judas leaves and Frankie sits back down, a stranger...
I've been teaching this song to my sophomore college literature classes for about fifteen years, and I have some ideas. Judas is of course Judas Iscariot, but his role as the betrayer of Jesus is not what's important here; he was also the treasurer of the Apostles, the fellow who held all the worldly possessions, and it is this role which seems to be important in this poem (he's got the roll of tens). The fact that he's a "priest" means that this role has been taken to religious extremes. When Judas leaves and Frankie sits back down, a stranger "bursts" upon the scene (the same word, bursts, is used to describe the moment of death for Frankie Lee when he emerges, dessicated, from the house/ home of earthly delights (24 windows may refer to the hours in the day). This indicates that bursts is associated closely (metonymically) with death... and the stranger who shows up (just above the "plotted" plains, the cemetary), may be death (who is always a stranger because we onl;y meet him once; and the only two things he knows about Frankie Lee are that he's a gambler (with his soul? he's broke, remember) and that his father has already died. Anyway, it's a poem about the shortcomings of pursuing a material and sensual existence without a spiritual basis (remember, Bob Dylan was suing his manager, Albert Grossman, for taking more than Bob Dylan believed grossman should have been taking from Dylan as his manager and that on the album John Wesley harding, the song "Dear Landlord" is also addressed to Grossman. Hope this helps.
Very interesting and erudite analysis. Many insights that are helpful to me. The world can use more folk like yourself teaching literature at all academic levels. Thank you for this.
Very interesting and erudite analysis. Many insights that are helpful to me. The world can use more folk like yourself teaching literature at all academic levels. Thank you for this.
the heavy metal band "Judas Priest" is named after this song
I've been teaching this song to my sophomore college literature classes for about fifteen years, and I have some ideas. Judas is of course Judas Iscariot, but his role as the betrayer of Jesus is not what's important here; he was also the treasurer of the Apostles, the fellow who held all the worldly possessions, and it is this role which seems to be important in this poem (he's got the roll of tens). The fact that he's a "priest" means that this role has been taken to religious extremes. When Judas leaves and Frankie sits back down, a stranger...
I've been teaching this song to my sophomore college literature classes for about fifteen years, and I have some ideas. Judas is of course Judas Iscariot, but his role as the betrayer of Jesus is not what's important here; he was also the treasurer of the Apostles, the fellow who held all the worldly possessions, and it is this role which seems to be important in this poem (he's got the roll of tens). The fact that he's a "priest" means that this role has been taken to religious extremes. When Judas leaves and Frankie sits back down, a stranger "bursts" upon the scene (the same word, bursts, is used to describe the moment of death for Frankie Lee when he emerges, dessicated, from the house/ home of earthly delights (24 windows may refer to the hours in the day). This indicates that bursts is associated closely (metonymically) with death... and the stranger who shows up (just above the "plotted" plains, the cemetary), may be death (who is always a stranger because we onl;y meet him once; and the only two things he knows about Frankie Lee are that he's a gambler (with his soul? he's broke, remember) and that his father has already died. Anyway, it's a poem about the shortcomings of pursuing a material and sensual existence without a spiritual basis (remember, Bob Dylan was suing his manager, Albert Grossman, for taking more than Bob Dylan believed grossman should have been taking from Dylan as his manager and that on the album John Wesley harding, the song "Dear Landlord" is also addressed to Grossman. Hope this helps.
Very interesting and erudite analysis. Many insights that are helpful to me. The world can use more folk like yourself teaching literature at all academic levels. Thank you for this.
Very interesting and erudite analysis. Many insights that are helpful to me. The world can use more folk like yourself teaching literature at all academic levels. Thank you for this.